Icicle Creek Trail

Attractions: This is an easy family- and pup-friendly day hike or overnight backpacking trip through old-growth forest. Given the shade and the proximity to Icicle Creek, consider taking this hike on a blistering summer day. You might be able to fry an egg on the blacktop roads around Leavenworth on such a day, but chocolate pudding will set up in the cool river water when you stop to camp. What a nice way to vent steam.

Fitness: 1 ( fairly easy) as a backpacking trip. 2 (intermediate) as a day trip.

Distance: 5 miles (one way) to an established campsite (the trail continues to the PCT near Stevens Pass.)

Recommended Season: Spring, summer, fall

Access. From the west end of Leavenworth, WA, follow the Icicle Creek Road for about 20 miles. Stay left on Forest Road 7600 after passing Icicle Gorge Trailhead at about the 16-mile mark. Just before the trailhead you will drive through a shallow wide creek that passes over a paved part of the road. The trailhead is located at the end of Icicle Creek Road. A Northwest Forest Pass is required for parking.

Trip Instructions. Near the beginning of the trail there is a stream crossing using a log, but in 2015 (and abnormally a warm, dry year) the stream was completely dried up! After about 1.5 miles you’ll pass French Creek Campground, a delightful spot to linger if you only have a couple of hours. Continue hiking about 3.5 more miles and you will come to a bridge. There is a campsite area before the bridge. Look for a faint trail to the left. Just after the bridge there is another campsite on the left, easily seen from the trail. For an easy backpacking trip, this is great place to camp for the night/ There’s lots to explore from this camp.

Miscellaneous Notes. Five of us who are in our 60s and 70s upgraded our backpacking gear and decided to try our new (and much lighter) gear out on this easy backpacking trip. Four of us were experienced backpackers and we enjoyed having a first-time backpacker along. This was also my dog’s first overnight trip as well. We all enjoyed this trip through beautiful old-growth forest and those of us testing lightweight gear discovered this equipment was very kind on aging joints. How did we ever carry so much weight years ago! The mosquitoes were not a problem on our trip and we returned from our trip thinking this was a perfect shaded outing during hot, summer weather.

Leave It Better Than You found It. This should be every outdoor user’s goal. Pick up trash left by others, pull noxious weeds along your route, throw branches over poor spur trails…

Disclaimer. Treat this information as recommendations, not gospel. Things change, conditions change, and those contributing these reports are volunteers–they may make mistakes, fail to give complete information, or may not know all the issues affecting a route. You are completely responsible for yourself, your actions, and your safety. If you won’t accept that responsibility, you are prohibited from using our information.